Today's Opinions

Far be it from us to suggest he can't express his opinions, but we suspect the Indiana secretary of state is using his official position in ways that may cross the lines of what's proper.

Secretary of State Todd Rokita issued a statement March 4 regarding the lawsuit filed against him by the League of Women Voters of Indiana alleging the state's voter-identification law treats voters differently, and therefore unequally and unconstitutionally. Attorneys for the League and the state had presented oral arguments before the Indiana Supreme Court that morning.

To the sheriff's deputy who blew through the four-way stop at 19th and Mozart streets at 1:09 p.m. Thursday, thank you.

I might have recognized you, and therefore thanked you by name, but you had your hand up to your face, perhaps holding a cell phone.

I want to thank you because a law-enforcement officer blowing the stop sign gives credence to my theory that people going through that intersection driving north or south are different from those of us going east or west.

Each year, millions of people dedicated to eliminating cancer in our lifetime participate in a unique event that helps communities celebrate cancer survivorship, remember loved ones lost and fight back against a disease that takes too much. That event is the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.

Fifty years after a deadly plane crash united residents of Perry County in grief, weekend services again proved how caring our community can be.

Relatives of several victims of the 1960 crash at Millstone of Northwest Orient Flight 710 attended March 13-14 events marking the 50th anniversary of the crash. Led by the local Kiwanis Club and a committee of community members, Saturday's memorial and Sunday's worship service honored the memories of the 63 people who died March 17, 1960.

Anonymous letters are common in my mailbag. One arrives every few days, many of them handwritten. Some are well-thought-out with very neat penmanship. Others are scribbled, obviously in anger or haste. Maybe both.

We don't publish nameless letters, but I read them nonetheless. Some are so profanity-laced they'd make a sailor blush in shame. Others are thoughtful and could otherwise be published unedited, had they come with the authors' name.

Eagles Bluff Park, which overlooks the Cannelton Locks and Dam on the Ohio River, is the crown jewel of Perry County's parks and has been open daily since renovations were completed there in 2008. But those who work until 5 p.m. — certainly a sizable part of the county's population — were never able to enjoy it on weekdays because the park closed at 5 p.m. (and this year winter closing time was changed to 4 p.m.). Effective today, though, that has changed. The park is now open until 7 p.m.

Editor's Note: The Quality of Life Committee sponsored by the Perry County Development Corp. is partnering with The News to present the stories of people who have moved to Perry County or who have returned here after several years away. This column was written by Kenneth Simpson. When it was requested I write an article concerning my family's move to Tell City and Perry County, I had many thoughts. But basically, it was a case of my wife Sandra and me moving back home.